I thought it was a nifty idea too, Rob. These were mostly paperbacks, and the small wood-frame buildings were heated with woodstoves, which give out radiant heat. I'm pretty sure this would not be useful in climates colder than Northern California, since the books-in-between-the-studs design disallows more powerful insulation with higher R-values.

Basically engineering skills are god gifted one cant develop those skills but he or she can polish the existing skills. According to me Engineering is a passion only those who just get into things and want to explore new and new things can be good engineers . According to me good engineers are those who ask many questions because this is an indication that there brain is working and they are not just grasping the things which taught but understanding as well.

Rob, that was one of the coolest things I'd seen. In this case, they opened up the inside walls and put in bookshelves in between the studs. The books, most of them paperback, work as insulation. Don't know what the R-value is, but it worked and it cut down on the amount of insulation they needed elsewhere. One of so many simple, useful, inventive hippie-style solutions.

So, Chuck, during the time you didn't read anything on a e-book reader, did you indeed read paper books? I've toyed with the idea of getting an e-book reader -- I like the cost of e-books -- but I just keep ordering paper books.

Wow. I hadn't heard about books for insulation, but it makes sense. I used to have tons and tons of books (I was an English major). At a certain ploint I decided I didn't need all of these things. So I shipped them off to my little brother who wanted to build a home library. I still have tons and tons of books. They keep rebuilding.

I agree Rob--I think bookshelves with books in them are esthetically pleasing also. Plus, they're excellent insulation if you've got lots and lots of them. Years ago I had friends living off the grid in northern California who specifically built bookshelves into the walls for insulation.

I still find the book to be pleasing as a physical thing. It's very efficient. and while the tablet can contain more books, I believe bookshelves are an esthetically pleasing object (collection of objects?) in the home.

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